Big 12 Football

It remains to be seen whether Deion Sanders will be the head coach of Colorado or the Dallas Cowboys next season, but he reportedly isn't getting all the name, image and likeness money he was hoping for from the Buffaloes.

Jane Slater of NFL Network reported Thursday that sources told her Colorado athletic director Rick George responded with "resistance" when Sanders approached him asking for more money for his staff and NIL endeavors in the new college-football landscape.

Colorado has shown significant improvement in just two seasons with Sanders as head coach.

It was just 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Pac-12 play in 2023 but went 9-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12 after switching conferences in 2024. It was in the mix for a Big 12 title for much of the season and qualified for a spot in the Alamo Bowl.

The Buffaloes won at least nine games for just the second time since the 2002 season, but the reality in today's college football world is that momentum will likely only continue if they have enough money to support recruiting and transfer portal endeavors.

Having a Hall of Famer like Sanders surely helps in the recruiting world, but there is also a ceiling on just how far Colorado can climb if it cannot match what other top programs are offering from a financial perspective.

Perhaps this will play a role in Sanders' decision-making process this offseason.

His son, Shedeur Sanders, already won't be with Colorado next season since he is heading to the 2025 NFL draft. And now America's Team and Deion Sanders' former home in the Cowboys has a job opening that may not be available again in the near future.

"Regarding Deion Sanders: I'm being told that he would almost certainly accept if Jerry Jones offers to make him the next #Cowboys head coach, that those around him are encouraging him to pursue it and that Jones is enamored with the idea," NFL insider Ed Werder reported Thursday.

Sanders himself told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the opportunity with the Cowboys, where he played five seasons from 1995 to 1999, is "intriguing."

For all the growth it has shown in the last two years, Colorado would be facing an uncertain future if Sanders did leave. The timing is also less than ideal because early signing day has already passed and its own players would then be eligible to enter the transfer portal because of a coaching change.

The Buffaloes would likely have to wait until the spring transfer portal opened to restock some of their roster, and doing so without Sanders won't be easy. That is especially true if they are hesitant to use more funds on NIL.

Carson Beck's massive reported NIL figures have Colorado star Travis Hunter reconsidering his decision to declare for the NFL draft.

Beck, who spent four years at Georgia before announcing his transfer to Miami last week, has reportedly earned nearly $10 million in NIL deals over the past year, with the $4 million he's expected to get from the Hurricanes raising that figure significantly.

Hunter was stunned to learn just how much Beck has made.

"How do you get $10 million? Where's my $10 million? How are people getting this much money bro? Hold up, let me go test this out," Hunter joked on The Travis Hunter Show (31:00 mark). "Let me go back. I'm going back to college. Let me see if I can get $100 million. Let me go see if I can win another Heisman, because $10 million, I ain't make that in college. Let me go hit the portal."

While Hunter could probably make NIL history if he decided to enter the transfer portal and stay in college for another season, heading to the NFL will likely end up being the better decision.

He's widely projected to be one of the first players off the board in the draft this year, with Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department slotting him at No. 3 to the New York Giants.

Hunter might not get a massive rookie contract, but if he lives up to all the hype surrounding him, it won't take long for him to get a deal worth far more than one he could get in college.

Legendary former Colorado head coach Bill McCartney died Friday at the age of 84.

His family announced his death "after a courageous journey with dementia" in a statement (h/t ESPN).

"Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor and advocate for family, community and faith," his family said in the statement. "As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired."

McCartney spent all 13 years of his head coaching career with the Buffaloes, finishing with an overall record of 93-55-5 before his retirement at the end of the 1994 season. He helped lead Colorado to its first and only national championship victory in 1990, while the team appeared in nine bowl games during his tenure.

McCartney ranks No. 1 on the Buffaloes' all-time wins list as well as No. 1 on their all-time games coached leaderboard.

He initially joined Michigan's staff as a defensive aide in 1974, serving as the team's outside linebackers coach for three seasons. He eventually took over as Michigan's defensive coordinator in 1977 before leaving to join the Buffaloes prior to the 1982 season.

Colorado athletic director Rick George, who worked under McCartney, also released a statement.

"I was fortunate to be able to say goodbye to Coach in person last week," George said, via ESPN. "Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership."

"The mark that he left on CU football and our athletic department will be hard to replicate," he added.

McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2013 class.

A recent ESPN poll of 20 NFL scouts and executives confirmed Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward as the consensus top two quarterbacks of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Eleven executives named Sanders as the draft's top quarterback, while nine went with Ward, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Scouts were much more divided when Thamel conducted the same poll in October. Back then, Georgia's Carson Beck, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Texas' Quinn Ewers received votes as the top quarterback in the class.

Consensus does not necessarily means scouts are confident in the 2025 quarterback class, Thamel noted.

"When picking their top quarterback, scouts and executives used words such as 'reluctantly' and 'don't love it,'" Thamel wrote. "One scout said he was unsure if there are any franchise quarterbacks in this draft."

The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns could each consider selecting a signal caller with the top two picks of the 2025 draft.

The New York Giants, who currently sit at No. 3 on the draft board, also need a quarterback. It's the same story with the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6), New York Jets (No. 7) and New Orleans Saints (No. 9.)

Who will these teams have to select from? Not Beck, who is headed to Miami for his final season of eligibility.

Ewers could be an option after he indicated to Thamel in an interview aired Friday night he plans to enter the draft rather than play an additional college season. Milroe also declared for the draft last week.

Other options include Ohio State's Will Howard, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Stanford's Kyle McCord and Notre Dame's Riley Leonard.

One scout told Thamel: "This is one of the weakest classes. There's not a lot of depth to it, and there's not a lot of high-talent players either."

The relative weakness of the incoming quarterback class, at least as perceived by NFL scouts, could be part of the reason reports have been so mixed as to how high Sanders is expected to go in the upcoming draft.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said last week that he had "talked to people within the league who don't have anything close to a first-round grade on the guy," and that he currently expected Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter to be selected higher than Sanders.

Six quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2024 draft. Five of them— Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix— ended the campaign as a starting quarterback. The sixth, Minnesota Vikings' J.J. McCarthy, missed out on his own bid only because of injury.

It sounds like scouts aren't expecting as many immediate starters in the upcoming draft. Given the number of teams who will enter the draft in need of a QB1, the ongoing College Football Playoff could offer second-tier quarterbacks like Ewers, Howard and Leonard a chance to significantly boost their draft stock heading into April.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said on the Tamron Hall Show during a Friday appearance that there are a couple NFL teams he will not allow his son, ex-Buffaloes star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, to play for (h/t Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today).

To set up the remark, Hall asked Sanders this question: "Have you told him privately who you would like for him to play for?"

Sanders then replied: "It's not like that. It's not like who I would like for him to play for. It's a couple of teams that I won't allow him to play for. So it's not like that. But this is my profession. I know what's behind the curtain. We ain't got to get back there for me to understand what's behind the curtain and what's not prominent for my son. I'm not doing it."

Hall then responded: "And if he doesn't listen to you?"

"Who?" Sanders replied as the studio audience laughed. "Who? No, you must mean (NFL team) owners, not my son."

Sanders did not mention which specific teams he doesn't want his son to play for.

Three-plus months still remain before the NFL draft begins on April 24 in Green Bay, but at this juncture, Sanders could very well be the No. 1 overall pick or close to it.

In fact, the latest B/R NFL Scouting Department mock draft has Sanders going No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

Fathers have warded their superstar son draft prospects away from undesirable teams before.

In 1983, Jack Elway told the Baltimore Colts that his son, John Elway, would not play for them. The Colts drafted Elway anyway and eventually traded him to the Denver Broncos.

Twenty-one years later, Archie Manning told the San Diego Chargers that his son, Eli Manning, wouldn't play for them. Manning was eventually traded to the New York Giants on draft day.

Maybe we'll see the same thing another 21 years later in 2025.

Sanders said on his show appearance he'll "intervene" if necessary.

Would Sanders intervene if that team was the Cleveland Browns with the No. 2 overall pick? This is what he thought of the team in March 2018, a month before they selected Baker Mayfield at No. 1 overall.

The Titans, Browns and New York Giants all need short- and long-term solutions at quarterback and pick first, second and third overall. It's hard seeing Sanders (and Miami signal-caller Cam Ward) slip out the top three, whether it's to one of these teams or to another team that trades up.

The Browns might be the team to watch here, though. Simply put, Sanders wouldn't be putting this out there if he didn't have concerns about a team that has the chance to draft his son.

We're still in the beginning stages of the pre-draft process, though, and the college football season isn't even over yet for another 10 days. Ultimately, there's a long way to go before Green Bay.

At least one Colorado star will be attending the 2025 NFL Draft.

Travis Hunter plans on making the trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to find out which team will draft him:

This comes after Shedeur Sanders previously announced that he would not be attending the event.

With the Buffaloes' season concluded, the Heisman Trophy winner confirmed he's entering the 2025 NFL draft. The decision comes after his team finished 9-4 and capped off the year with a 36-14 loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl.

Everyone assumed this year would be Hunter's last in Boulder, Colorado, and he removed any doubt by asserting himself as one of the best talents in the class. His two-way abilities also make him unlike any prospect we've seen in a long time.

On offense, the junior wide receiver/defensive back caught 96 passes for 1,258 and 15 touchdowns. On defense, he had 36 tackles and four interceptions.

Hunter is the No. 1 overall player on Bleacher Report's big board and basically a lock for the top five. He could be the first non-quarterback to get picked.

The biggest question is whether Hunter begins to settle on one position over the other, or if teams not-so-subtly hint they believe he should be a wideout or defensive back specifically.

The 6'1" standout has maintained he wants to play both ways at the next level.

"It's never been done," he said in November. "I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don't want their top pick to go down too early and I know they're going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.

"I like when people tell me I can't do it."

That simply doesn't seem feasible, though.

There isn't a parallel in the modern history of the NFL to what Hunter might try. His college coach, Deion Sanders, might be the closest comparison. During the 1996 season, Sanders had 36 receptions for 475 yards and a touchdown along 33 tackles and two interceptions.

But the experiment basically lasted one season. The Hall of Fame cornerback never lined up at wideout that much again.

The physical demands of being an NFL starter are such that it's hard to see how Hunter can stay healthy and effective by splitting reps on offense and defense. Sooner or later, he'll surely have to choose one over the other.

B/R NFL scout Cory Giddings evaluated Hunter as a standalone cornerback and offered high praise, comparing him to three-time All-Pro Patrick Peterson.

"His combination of length, athleticism, and football intelligence makes him a valuable asset in both man and zone coverage schemes," Giddings said. "While he will need to refine his technique and develop more consistent footwork to handle NFL-level slot receivers, his rare physical gifts and ball skills give him a high ceiling as a defensive playmaker.

"Hunter's willingness to tackle and high motor add to his appeal, making him a well-rounded prospect with the potential to be a cornerstone of an NFL secondary. With proper development, Hunter has the tools to become a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the top cornerbacks in the league."

Were Hunter to prefer to play receiver, his 2024 production speaks for itself. ESPN's Matt Miller pegged him as a No. 2 wideout best utilized out of the slot as a rookie.

Every top prospect is scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb in the months leading up to the draft. In the case of Hunter, there isn't a ton to pick apart, but his evaluation could be beneficial in terms of sorting out his general career path.

Only one thing would convince Colorado head coach Deion Sanders to leave his job with the Buffaloes for an NFL head coaching gig.

Sanders said he would need to get a role that would allow him to coach both of his sons, Shedeur and Shilo.

"The only way I would consider is to coach my sons. Not son. Sons," Sanders said on Good Morning America. "I love Colorado, I love my Buffaloes, I love everything that we're building, I love everything that we're doing and I love Boulder, Colorado."

The odds that both Shedeur and Shilo will land on the same team are pretty slim, so fans shouldn't get their hopes up about Sanders joining the NFL ranks anytime soon.

Shedeur had a tremendous collegiate career and could be one of the first players off the board in the draft this year. The quarterback threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his final year with the Buffaloes, leading them to a 9-4 record.

Bleacher Report's Scouting Department lists the 22-year-old as the No. 16 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in this year's draft class, behind only Cam Ward of Miami.

Shilo, 24, didn't have quite as impressive of a career, but there's still a chance the safety could hear his name called this year. In his final season with Colorado, he had 45 tackles, one forced fumble and two passes defended.

Sanders, who is entering his third season as Colorado head coach, will support his sons from Boulder and perhaps eventually join the NFL ranks as a head coach.

Until then, he'll look to continue building up the Buffaloes program. After inheriting a team that went 1-11 in 2022, Colorado went 4-8 a year ago before going 9-4 this season.

The Buffs fell short of reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024, but they seem to be on their way to competing for a championship soon.

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders has been under a spotlight since taking over the Buffaloes program prior to the 2023 season, but sometimes that led to unwanted attention as well.

As Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today relayed, Sanders' bodyguard, Michael Rhodes, appeared on the Coach Prime documentary series on Amazon Prime Video and discussed some of threats the head coach faced throughout the 2024 season.

That included "multiple threats concerning people trying to do harm to Coach" before Colorado's rivalry game against Colorado State on Sept. 14.

Rhodes said he sends death threats Sanders receives to the police and the FBI and added that multiple law enforcement agencies were involved ahead of the Colorado State game.

"I have to keep my head on a swivel," Rhodes said. "I have to keep my eyes open. I really have to watch the crowd, pay attention to everybody's body language, facial expressions, hands, because everybody doesn't love Coach. … With all of the death threats, I don't know who is who. I've got one job, and that's to make sure that Coach is good, to make sure he's safe, so he can go out and coach the team to a victory."

The 2024 game against the Rams was expected to be a heated one considering the 2023 one went into double overtime and featured no shortage of trash talk. That 2023 game also included Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell criticizing Sanders for keeping his hat and sunglasses on during interviews.

That may have motivated the Buffaloes, as Shilo Sanders put on sunglasses while celebrating a pick-six.

Yet the 2024 rematch didn't feature nearly as many fireworks with Colorado cruising to a 28-9 victory in the early stages of a much-improved season. There was the expected trash talk in a rivalry game, but it didn't draw nearly as many national headlines.

One reason for that is it was clear the Buffaloes were a league above the Rams this time around. While Sanders' team went 4-8 in 2023 and struggled throughout the campaign, it took significant strides in 2024 on the way to a 9-4 record.

While the team was celebrating more wins on the field, Rhodes was doing what he needed to behind the scenes to keep the head coach and everyone involved with the program safe.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' collegiate career may be over, but he definitely isn't past the Buffaloes' ugly 36-14 loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

On the latest edition of his 2Legendary podcast, Sanders was asked about taking the field as a Colorado Buffalo for the last time (57-second mark).

"It didn't feel good, bro," Sanders responded. "We definitely sold out there. That game, we didn't play our best."

Sanders was then asked how it feels to be coached by his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, for the last time.

"That's not really in my thoughts right now," Sanders responded. "It's more just the performance out there. That I'll say is a bummer right now for me personally."

San Antonio served as the location for a disastrous ending to an otherwise great season in Colorado. BYU led 20-0 at halftime and even went up 27-0 in the third quarter before the Buffaloes finally got on the board after Sanders found Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter for a 43-yard touchdown pass.

However, BYU then stormed right back with nine more points in the fourth for a 36-7 edge. Sanders hit Sav'ell Smalls on a two-yard touchdown pass with just over two minutes left for the final play of his collegiate career.

For the game, Sanders completed 16-of-23 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was a tough finish for a season where he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns (10 interceptions), including 8.7 yards per attempt.

Sanders is on vacation now, but the NFL pre-draft process will come calling soon enough. As of now, the B/R NFL Scouting Department lists Sanders as the QB2 of the 2025 class behind Miami's Cam Ward and the No. 16 prospect overall.

Shedeur Sanders seems confident he will be the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, but not all scouts are on the same page.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, some scouts aren't projecting Sanders as a Round 1 pick following his senior season at Colorado.

"I've already talked to people within the league who don't have anything close to a first-round grade on the guy," Pelissero said about Sanders on Friday's episode of the Rich Eisen Show.

Pelissero continued: "The idea that he's just going to walk in and going to be the No. 1 pick, that's probably pushing it... if I were guessing who comes off the board first, I'd say Shedeur is not the first Colorado player off the board as it stands today."

Sanders wrapped up his final season with Colorado last Saturday with a bowl game loss to BYU.

The quarterback said ahead of the game that his cleats would reflect where he was going in the upcoming NFL draft.

He then arrived to face BYU in custom New York Giants cleats. At the time the Giants, who have since slipped behind the Tennessee Titans in the race to the bottom of the league standings, were on track to select first in the draft.

Pelissero said that while Sanders going No. 1 could still happen, there was "healthy skepticism among people in the league" that one of the bottom finishers would use their top pick on the Colorado signal caller.

Sanders' case for No. 1 likely wasn't helped by his performance against BYU, during which he struggled with three sacks in the first half.

As B/R NFL Scout Dame Parson wrote in his report on Sanders, the Colorado quarterback is a strong passer from the pocket, but may struggle to sustain the number of hits he takes with the Buffaloes at the NFL level.

The loss to BYU also marked the final college outing for Sanders' teammate and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who played for the Buffaloes at both cornerback and wide receiver this season.

Hunter is also a candidate for the No. 1 pick, something he previously said was even more important to him than winning the Heisman.

There's a chance that, should a team like the Giants or Tennessee Titans end up at the top of the draft, they will want to use their pick to select a quarterback regardless of the best overall prospect available.

Even with Hunter out of the picture in that case, Sanders would have to compete with other top quarterback prospects including Miami's Cam Ward to hear his name called first this spring.